Penny Hollander Feldman, Ph.D., is Vice President for Research and Evaluation at the Visiting Nurse Service of New York (VNSNY) and Director of the Center for Home Care Policy and Research (CHCPR). She has been at VNSNY since 1995. Prior to joining VNSNY, Dr. Feldman was on the faculty at Harvard University for twenty years, in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and at the John F. Kennedy School of Government.
At the Center, she directs projects focused on improving the quality, outcomes and cost-effectiveness of home-based care, supporting informed policy-making by long-term care decision-makers, and helping communities promote the health, well being and independence of people with chronic illness or disability. The translation and implementation of research in both service and policy settings has been an issue of special interest to Dr. Feldman. Two articles she has published in that area are "Strengthening research to improve the practice and management of long-term care" [Milbank Quarterly, 81(2)] and "Improving communication between researchers and policymakers in long-term care: Or researchers are from Mars; policymakers are from Venus" [The Gerontologist, 41(3)]. Dr. Feldman was the program director of the Home Care Research Initiative, a national research program funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and administered by CHCPR to advance the knowledge base underpinning home and community based services.
Dr. Feldman also served as a member of
the Institute of Medicine's Committee on Improving the Quality of
Long-Term Care, which issued its report by that name in 2001, and is a
member of the National Commission on Nursing Work Force for Long-Term
Care. In September 2005 she was appointed Associate Professor,
Department of Public Health, Weill Medical College of Cornell
University.
Among the major projects Dr. Feldman is currently directing are:
| 1) | A new initiative entitled "Patients First: An Initiative for Patient Centered Care," which will move toward joining VNSNY researchers, clinicians and patients with national experts from universities and other health care settings in an effort to respond to two path-breaking reports by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) that highlighted the wide gap between the quality of care that Americans could and should receive and the quality of care that is generally delivered. |
| 2) | Two AHRQ-funded studies - one focused on translating evidence-based research into improvements in home health management of heart failure and cancer pain and one focused on understanding how organizational and team environments affect patient care and patient outcomes; |
| 3) | The Partnership for Advancing Quality Homecare project that will develop a model for collaboration among home health care agencies and researchers to improve quality performance in the field; and |
| 4) | The AdvantAge Initiative, which is working with communities around the country to survey their older residents and develop indicators and benchmarks of community "elder friendliness", and a related project, Livable Communities for Disabled Elders, which will identify the key elements constituting a "livable community" for aging adults with disabilities. |
| 5) | Geriatric CHAMP Program [Curricula for Homecare Advances in Management and Practice] being developed under a subcontract with the Visiting Nurse Associations of America (VNAA) with funding from The Atlantic Philanthropies. The purpose is to improve care for older patients served by home health agencies and to embed in those agencies the capacity for continuous practice improvement. The specific aim is to develop and test a sustainable training model for nurse managers in home healthcare agencies. |
| 6) | The Effect of the Patient Activation Measure on Chronic Care project, funded by the Agency for Healthcare Quality and Research, is designed to test the effectiveness of an intervention in a chronically ill managed long term care population that provides care teams with a tool to measure the level of patient activation in order to tailor appropriate interventions to improve patient self-management. |
| 7) | Home-Based BP Interventions for African Americans, with federal funding from the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute, is a randomized trial to examine the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of two organizational interventions aimed at improving blood pressure (BP) control among a high-risk, African American home care population. |
While she was at Harvard, Dr. Feldman was the principal investigator for a variety of research projects on state and local health policy, including Medicaid cost containment strategies, the use of private insurance for Medicaid recipients, the impact of the Maternal and Child Health Block Grant on services for poor women and children, and Medicaid long-term care/personal care programs. Since the late 1980s, she has done extensive research on home care issues. Her book, Who Cares for Them? Workers in the Home Care Industry, examined the home care labor market and the feasibility of programs and policies designed to improve both quality of work life and quality of care. Dr. Feldman also edited a volume of Generations, a publication of the American Society on Aging, devoted to "Frontline Workers" in long-term care. Dr. Feldman conducted a three-year cost and outcomes assessment of New York City's Cluster Care Program, a major demonstration program designed to change service delivery and reduce the costs of the City's $1 billion Medicaid home care budget. Related to that work, she has examined depressive symptomatology among elderly recipients of formal home care services.
Journal Articles and Reports
Feldman, P.H.,
McDonald, M.V., Mongoven, J., Peng, T., Gerber, L., & Pezzin, L.E. 2009
Home-based blood pressure
interventions for African Americans.
Circulation:
Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes. 2(3): 241-248.
Understanding
the complexity of hypertensive African American home care patients: Challenges
to intervention.
Ethnicity & Disease: 19: 148-153
Naik, D., Totten, A., & Feldman, P.H. 2009.
Promoting
excellence in geriatric home care: Proceedings and findings from a national
conference.
Caring. 28(4):
32-36.
Mcdonald, M.V., King,
L.J., Moodie M., Feldman P.H., 2008.
Exploring Diabetic Care Deficiencies and Adverse Events in Home Healthcare
Journal of Healthcare Quality 30(6):5-12.
Ryvicker,
M., Marren, J., Sobolewski, S., Acampora, T.,
Flannery, M., Buff, E., Hess, A.M., Rosati,
R., Schwartz, T., & Feldman,
P.H. 2008. Feldman, P., Ryvicker, M., Rosati, R., Schwartz, T.,
Maduro, G. 2007.
Spreading Improvement Strategies within a Large Home
Healthcare Organization.
Journal for Healthcare
Quality. 30(2): 48-58.
HHA Partnering Collaborative Evaluation:
Practice/Policy Brief.
Prepared for the Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Planning and Evaluation,
Feldman, P.H., Bridges, J.F.P., &
Peng, T. 2007.
Team Structure adn Adverse Events in Home Health Care.
Medical Care, 45(6): 553-561.
Feldman, P.H., Clark, A., &
Bruno, L. 2006.
Advancing the agenda for home healthcare quality: conference proceedings and findings.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 24(5): 282-289.
Feldman, P.H., &
McDonald, M. 2006.
Clinical Guidelines and Recent Research on Hypertension and Heart Failure.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 24(1): 50-53.
Siegler, E.J., Murtaugh, C.M., Rosati,
R.J., Clark, A., Ruchlin, H., Sobolewski, S., Feldman, P.H., &
Callahan, M. 2006.
Improving the transition to home healthcare by rethinking the purpose and structure of the CMS 485: First steps.
Home Healthcare Services Quarterly, 25(3-4): 27-38.
Feldman, P., McDonald, M., Rosati, R., Murtaugh, C., Kovner, C.T., Goldberg, J.D. & King, L.
Exploring the potential utility of
automated drug alerts in home health care.
Journal of Healthcare Quality 28(1): 29-40.
Feldman, P.H. In Press.
Improving care for older people in the home health care setting: Challenges for practice, education and policy.
Fourth report to the Secretary of Health & Human Services and the Congress.
Feldman, P.H., Murtaugh, C.M., Pezzin, L.E.,
McDonald, M.V., & Peng, T.R. 2005.
Just-in-time evidence-based e-mail "reminders" in home health care: Impact on patient outcomes.
Health Services Research, 40(3): 865-885.
McDonald, M.V., Pezzin, L.E., Feldman, P.H., Murtaugh, C.M., & Peng, T.R. 2005.
Can
just-in-time evidence-based "reminders" improve pain management among
home heatlh care nurses and their patients?
Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 29(5): 474-488.
Murtaugh, C.M., Pezzin, L.E., McDonald, M.V., Feldman, P.H., &Peng, T.R.2005.
Just-in-time
evidence-based e-mail "reminders" in home health care: Impact on nurse
practices.
Health Services Research, 40(3): 849-864.
Stone, P.W., Harrison, M.I., Feldman, P., Linzer, M., Peng, T., Roblin, D., & Scott-Cawiezell, J. 2005.
Advances in patient safety: From research to implementation. Volumes 1-4, AHRQ Publication Nos. 050021 (1-4)
Rockville, MD: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.
Feldman, P.H. 2004.
Improving care for older people in the home health care setting:
Challenges for practice, education and policy.
National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice; Fourth Report to the Secretary of Health
& Human Services and the Congress.
Oberlink, M., Gursen, M., Simantov, E., & Feldman, P.H. 2004.
Livable communities for adults with disabilities.
Washington, DC: National Council on Disability.
Feldman, P.H., Peterson, L.E., Reische, L., Bruno, L., & Clark, A. Fall 2004.
Charting the course for home health care quality:
Action steps for achieving sustainable improvement. Conference Proceedings.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 22(12): 841-850.
Feldman, P.H., Oberlink, M.R., Simantov, E., & Gursen, M.D., 2004
A
tale of two older Americas: Community opportunities and challenges. The
AdvantAge Initiative 2003 National Survey of Adults Aged 65 and Older.
New York: The Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
Feldman, P.H., & Ahrens, J. Fall 2004.
Leveraging resources for home- and community-based services in a time of fiscal retrenchment. Conference Report.
New York: Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New York.
Feldman,
P.H. 2004.
Interview
with a quality leader: Penny Feldman on home healthcare quality and
research.
Journal for Healthcare Quality, 26(3): 31-37.
Feldman, P.H., Peng, T.R., Murtaugh, C.M.,
Kelleher, C., Donelson, S.M., McCann, M.E., & Putnam, M.E. 2004.
A
randomized intervention to improve heart failure outcomes in
community-based home health care.
Home Healthcare Services Quarterly, 23(1): 1-23.
Feldman, P.H.& McDonald, M.V. 2004.
Conducting translation research in the home care setting: Lessons from a just-in-time reminder study.
World Views on Evidence Based Nursing, 1(1): 49-59.*
*
Feldman, P.H., Oberlink, M., Rudin, D., Clay, J.,
Edwards, B. and Stafford, P.B. 2003.
Best
practices: Lessons for communities in supporting the health, well-being,
and independence of older people. AdvantAge Initiative Website.
Feldman, P.H., and Oberlink, M. 2003.
The
AdvantAge Initiative: Developing community indicators to promote the
health and well-being of older people.
Family and Community
Health Journal, 26(4): 268-274.
Feldman, P.H., Kane, R.L. 2003.
Strengthening
Research to Improve the Practice and Management of Long-Term Care Milbank
Quarterly.
Milbank Quarterly, 81(2): 179-220.
Rosati, R.J., Huang, L., Navaie-Waliser, M., & Feldman, P.H. 2003.
Risk factors for repeated hospitalizations
among home health care recipients.
Journal of Healthcare
Quality, 25(2): 38-45.
Nadash, P. and Feldman, P.H. 2003.
The
effectiveness of a "restorative" model of care for home care patients.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 21(6): 421-423.
Feldman, P.H. Summer 2003.
Review: No place
like home: A history of nursing and home care in the United States.
Contemporary Gerontology, 9(3).
Navaie-Waliser, M., Spriggs, A., & Feldman, P.H.
2002.
Informal caregivers as long-term care providers: Differential
experiences by gender.
Medical Care, 40(12): 1249-1259.
Peng, T.R., Navaie-Waliser, M., and Feldman, P.H.
2002.
Social support, service use, and health outcomes among elders
in home health care: Similarities and disparities by race/ethnicity.
The Gerontologist, 43(4).
Navaie-Waliser, M., Feldman, P.H., Gould, D.A.,
Levine, C., Kuerbis, A.N., and Donelan, K. March 2002.
When the
caregiver needs care: The plight of vulnerable caregivers
American Journal of Public Health, 92(3): 409-413.
Feldman, P.H., Nadash, P., and Gursen, M. 2001.
Improving communication between
researchers and policy makers in long-term care: Or, researchers are from
Mars, policy makers are from Venus.
New York, NY: Center
for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service of New
York.
Navaie-Waliser, M., Feldman, P.H., Gould, D.A.,
Levine, C., Kuerbis, A.N. and Donelan, K. 2001.
The experiences and
challenges of informal caregivers: Common themes and differences among
Whites, Blacks, and Hispanics.
The Gerontologist,
41(6):733-741.
Feldman, P.H., Nadash, P., and Gursen, M. 2001.
Improving communication between researchers and policy makers in
long-term care: Or, researchers are from Mars, policy makers are from
Venus.
The Gerontologist, 41(3):312-321.
Meredith, S., Feldman, P., Frey, D., Hall, K.,
Arnold, K., Brown, N. J., and Ray, W.A. 2001.
Possible medication
errors in home health care.
Journal of the American Geriatrics
Society, 49(6): 719-724.
Donelson, S., Murtaugh, C., Feldman, P., et al.
March 2001.
Clarifying the definition of homebound and medical
necessity using OASIS data.
Final Report prepared for the
Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, U.S.
Department of Health and Human Services (Contract #HHS-100-99-0020). New
York, NY: Center for Home Care Policy and Research, Visiting Nurse Service
of NY.
Davidson, H., Schluger, N., Feldman, P., Valentine,
D., Telzak, E., and Laufer, F. 2000.
The effects of increasing
incentives on adherence to tuberculosis directly observed therapy.
International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 4(9):
860-865.
Stevenson, D., Murtaugh, C., Feldman, P., and Oberlink, M. Fall/Winter 2000. Expanding publicly financed assisted living and other residential alternatives for disabled older persons: Issues and options. Policy Brief. New York, NY: Center for Home Care Policy and Research.
Stevenson, D., Murtaugh, C., Feldman, P., and
Oberlink, M. Fall/Winter 2000. Expanding publicly financed managed
long-term care programs to provide greater access to home and
community-based care. Policy Brief.
New York, NY: Center for
Home Care Policy and Research.
Murtaugh, C., Stevenson, D., Feldman, P., and
Oberlink, M. Fall/Winter 2000. State expenditures on home and
community-based care for disabled elders. Fact Sheet.
New
York, NY: Center for Home Care Policy and Research.
Levine, C., Kuerbis, A.N., Gould, D.A.,
Navaie-Waliser, M., Feldman, P.H., and Donelan, K. 2000.
A survey
of family caregivers in New York City: Findings and implications for the
health care system.
New York: The United Hospital Fund.
Donelson, S. and Feldman, P. 2000.
How to
determine if PPS will provide adequate resources for your population: One
agency's experience.
Home Healthcare Nurse, 18(6):
363-369.
Murtaugh, C., Sparer, M., Feldman,
P., Lee, J.S., et al. 1999
State strategies for allocating
resources to home and community-based care.
Final report
submitted to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Fulmer, T., Feldman, P., Kim, T.S., Carty, B.,
Beers, M., Molina, M., and Putnam, M. 1999.
An intervention study
to enh
ance medication compliance in community-dwelling individuals.
Journal of Gerontological Nursing, 25(8): 6-14.
Feldman, P. 1999.
Doing more for less:
Advancing the conceptual underpinnings of home-based care. Introductory
essay.
11(3): 261-276. Special Issue on Long-Term Care. Journal
of Aging and Health, ed. P. Feldman. Thousand Oaks, CA.: Sage
Publications.
Feldman, P. 1998.
Work force issues and
quality of long-term care.
Commissioned by the Committee on
Improving Quality in Long-Term Care, Division of Health Care Services,
Institute of Medicine as a background document for Wunderlich, G.S., and
Kohler, P., Editors; Improving the quality of long-term care, National
Academy Press, 2001.
Feldman, P., Gold, M., and Heiser, N. 1998.
Improving the use of data in health policymaking: Lessons from RWJFÌs
Information for State Health Policy Program.
Washington, DC:
Mathematica Policy Research, Inc.
Feldman, P., Donelson, S., and Gagen, D. 1997.
Evaluating outcomes in the home care setting.
Monitor,
Medical Outcomes Trust, Boston, MA. 2(4): 14-16.
Feldman, P., Latimer, E., and Davidson, H. 1997.
Reply to Hornbrook on doing policy-relevant evaluation
research.
Health Services Research, (32)1: 123-125.
Feldman, P. 1997.
State variations in
Medicare expenditures. An editorial.
American Journal of Public
Health, 87(10): 1595-1596.
Feldman, P., Gold, M., and Chu, K. 1997.
State
health policy information: What worked?
Health Affairs, 16(1):
207-210.
Feldman, P. and Bishop, C. 1997.
Medicare
home health care services. Letter to the Editor.
New England
Journal of Medicine, 336(3): 226.
Feldman, P. and Murtaugh, C. 1997.
Medicare
home health payment reform. Letter to the Editor.
Health
Affairs, 16(2): 260-261.
Feldman, P., Latimer, E., and Davidson, H. 1996.
Medicaid-funded home care for the frail elderly and disabled:
evaluating the cost savings and outcomes of a service delivery reform.
Health Services Research, 31(4): 487-506.
Feldman, P. ed. 1994.
Front-line workers in
aging.
Generations, 18(3).
Feldman, P. 1994.
"Dead-end" work or
motivating job? Prospects for frontline paraprofessional workers in
long-term care.
Generations, 18(3): 5-10.
Feldman, P., Sapienza, A., and Kane, N. 1994.
On the home front: The job of the home aide.
Generations, 18(3): 16-19.
Feldman, P., Gold, M., and Chu, K. 1994.
Enhancing information for state health policy formation.
Health Affairs, 18(2): 236-250.
Davidson, H., Feldman, P., and Crawford, S. 1994.
Measuring depressive symptoms in the elderly.
Journal of
Gerontology: Psychological Sciences, 49(4): 159-164.
Feldman, P. 1993.
Labor market issues in home
care.
Harvard University, John F. Kennedy School of Government:
Faculty Research Working Paper Series, R94-3.
Feldman, P. 1993.
Work life improvements for
the home aide work force: impact and feasibility.
The
Gerontologist, 33(1): 47-54.
Feldman, P., Putnam, S., and Gerteis, M. 1992.
Foundation-funded commissions and their impact on health
policy.
Health Affairs, 11(4): 207-225.
Feldman, P. and Zacker, H. 1991.
Key issues
in the survival and implementation of the Massachusetts Health Security
Act.
Harvard School of Public Health.
Feldman, P. 1991.
Worker recruitment and
retention in the home care industry: Strategies for averting a future
worker shortage.
Invitational Conference on Home Care Personnel
Issues, Bigel Institute for Health Policy, Brandeis University.
Feldman, P. 1990.
Report on the New York City
Field Support Demonstration.
Harvard School of Public Health
(For the New York City Human Resources Administration).
Feldman, P. 1989.
The Ford Home Care Project:
Reducing turnover among paraprofessionals.
Caring, 8(2):
28-29.
Stoto, M., Blumenthal, D., Durch, J., and Feldman,
P. 1988.
Federal funding for AIDS: Decision process and results.
Background paper for Committee on a National Strategy for AIDS, Institute
of Medicine.
Review of Infectious Diseases, 10(2): 406-419.
Feldman, P. and Gerteis, M. 1987.
Private
insurance for Medicaid recipients: the Texas experience.
Journal of Health Policy, Politics and Law, 12(2): 271-298.
Feldman, P. 1985.
Impact of the maternal and
child health block grant on programs for the poor, 1981-1983.
Harvard School of Public Health.
Feldman, P. 1985.
Medicaid managed care: an
early assessment.
Harvard University, School of Public
Health.
Books/Chapters in Books
Feldman, P.H., Nadash, P., and Gursen, M.D. 2007.
Long-term Care.
In: Jonas and Kovner's Health Care
Delivery in the United States (9th ed.), A.R. Kovner and J.R. Knickman, (Eds).
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Feldman, P.H., Nadash, P., and Gursen, M.D. 2005.
Long-term Care.
In: Jonas and Kovner's Health Care
Delivery in the United States (8th ed.), A.R. Kovner and J.R. Knickman, (Eds).
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Pynoos, J., Feldman, P.H., & Ahrens, J. (Eds.). 2005.
Linking housing and services for older adults: Obstacles, options, and opportunities.
Binghamton, NY: The Haworth Press, Inc.
To view the introduction and first chapter in their entirety, please click here.
Feldman, P., Nadash, P., and Gursen, M.D. 2002.
Long-term Care.
In: Jonas and Kovner's Health Care
Delivery in the United States (7th ed.), Kovner, A.R. and Jonas S., eds.
New York: Springer Publishing Company.
Feldman, P. 1999.
From post-acute to chronic
care: Cost and policy implications of Medicare home health expansion.
In: Advances in Long-Term Care. Vol. IV, Katz, P., Kane, R., Mezey,
M., eds.
New York: Springer Publications.
Feldman, P. 1999.
Labor market issues in
home-based care.
In: Home-Based Care for a New Century, Fox, D.
and Raphael, C., eds. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publishers.
Feldman, P., Sapienza, A., and Kane, N.
1990.
Who Cares for Them? Workers in the U.S. Home Care
Industry, Connecticut: Greenwood-Praeger Press.
Feldman, P. and Sapienza, A. 1989.
Quality of
work life in the home care industry.
In: Human Resource
Management in the Health Care Sector: Guide for Administrators and
Professionals, Sethi, A. and Schuler, R., eds. Connecticut: Greenwood
Press.
Feldman, P. 1987.
Recruiting an Elite:
Admission to Harvard College.
New York: Garland Publishing
Co.
Greenberg, G. and Feldman, P. 1985.
New
Federalism and state support for technology assessment.
In:
Assessing Medical Technologies, Institute of Medicine. Washington, D.C.:
National Academy Press.
Blumenthal, D., Feldman, P., and Zeckhauser, R.
1981.
Misuse of technology: A symptom, not the disease.
In: Critical Issues in Medical Technology, McNeil, B, ed.
Massachusetts: Auburn House.
Feldman, P. and Roberts, M. 1980.
Magic
bullets or seven card stud: Understanding health care
regulation.
In: Issues in Health Care Regulation, Gordon, R.,
ed. New York: McGraw-Hill.
Feldman, P. 1980.
The impact of third party
payment on professional practice: Lessons from the Medical profession.
In: Regulating the Professionals: A Public Policy Symposium, Blair,
R. and Rubin, S., eds. Lexington, MA: Lexington Books/D.C. Heath.
Feldman, P. and Zeckhauser, R. 1978.
Some
sober thoughts on health care regulation.
In: Regulating
American Business, Argyris, et al. San Francisco, CA: Institute of
Contemporary Studies, 93-123.
Reviews
Medicaid decisions: A systematic analysis of the
cost problem.
In: Social Service Review. December,
1981.
Strategic planning in health care management.
In: New England Journal of Medicine. 1981. 305(25): 1535-1536.
Health care systems and comparative manpower
policies.
In: New England Journal of Medicine, 1981.
305(25): 1535.
